The phrase Damnatio ad bestias refers to Ancient Roman practice of punishing prisoners by allowing animals to devour or maim them. This form of punishment often doubled as entertainment for spectators that filled the arenas and was reserved strictly for slaves and lower class citizens. (Capital criminals from the upper class were entitled to a more dignified beheading.) While these prisoners would sometimes be forced to unchain two animals, such as a bull and a bear, that had been tied together in order to delay the inevitable and heighten the suspense, the incarcerated would just as often be tied to a stake; wheeled out on a small chariot; and presented to a beast, such as a wild boar. Some prisoners would be simply, as the saying goes, thrown to the lions. Ian Fitzgerald’s new album, Empty Like The Lion Den, has surprisingly little to do with any of this. Consisting of 12 original songs, Empty Like The Lion Den marks Ian’s fourth full-...